Brothers of the 4x4 and A Fiendish Threat

Hank3, grandson of iconic country legend Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams Jr., will soon drop not one but two albums this October.  Although Hank3 bears a remarkable resemblance to his grandfather and their voices are a bit similar at times, that is probably the only two things he shares in common with his kin.  You've probably heard the expression "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  In Hank3's case the apple fell from the tree, got kicked to the highway, hopped a Greyhound, and took a left turn in Albuquerque.
 
The first album, Brothers of the 4x4, is based in the so-called hellbilly country genre that Hank3 originated.  Typical country strings are present (banjo, fiddle, stand up bass), but the vocals themselves are altered with a muffled effect that presents a downright strange sound when combined with some obviously talented string players.  "Nearly Gone" sets a terrible tone for the album when it begins with some grating whistling and goes on for an unbearable nine minutes.  In the touring ditty "Held Up" Hank3 makes it a personal goal to namedrop every state and detail his wild antics in each.  I must admit, if I live the rest of my life without hearing a chorus that mentions "Virginia's vagina," I will die a happy man.  The lyrical meltdown continues on "Deep Scars" which includes the laughable line "..when you're losing like a loser who's got nothing to lose."  The fun doesn't end there.  The appropriately titled "Dreadful Drive" utilizes a light record scratch effect in the background to an annoying degree.

90% of Brothers of the 4x4 is garbage, but the other 10% represents what Hank3 is capable of if he could drop the gimmicky crap and embrace his country genes.  A few of the tracks feel like they are from a bygone era and are enjoyable albeit a bit corny at the same time.  "Hurtin For Certin" feels like a parody of a song by his grandfather, yet manages to worm its way into listeners' ears.  The highlight of the album is "Possum In A Tree" centering around well, you guessed it - a man encountering a possum up in a tree.  The comical song features plucking from 1996 Old-Time Banjo Champion Leroy Troy that any classic country fan would love to hear.

Hank3's other album releasing on the same date - A Fiendish Threat - is his venture into what the press release categorizes as the beginning of rebelcore punk.  After listening, let's hope this also marks the end of rebelcore punk.  The aforementioned country strings return this time around, but the vocals are even more distorted and extremely difficult to make out.  As a result the entire production comes off as an incredibly cheap imitation that should never have seen the light of day.  With song titles like "Broke Jaw" and "Watchin U Suffer" one wonders if Hank3's idea of a punk album involves simply creating violent sounding tracks and injecting them with grammatical errors.  Obviously Hank3 loves and worships punk music, but country should remain his main focus.  Both of these albums will probably obtain minor popularity based on name value alone, but undeservedly so.  Throwback country fans might want to check out "Hurtin For Certin" and "Possum In A Tree," but they certainly do not justify a complete album purchase.  Skippable.